DANIEL: IT’S BEEN A CRAZY YEAR FOR ME

DANIEL JAMES says there isn’t a day goes by when he doesn’t think back to how his life looked a year ago. Poised to join Leeds in the final hours of the January window, the Swansea wing wizard was on the brink of a new Championship adventure.

But at the 11th hour, Swansea’s hierarchy suddenly had second thoughts and aborted the £10million deal.

That left a bewildered James driving away from the Leeds training ground where he had been filmed holding a club shirt with his name and number as Amazon’s cameras made their Elland Road documentary.

The rest is history, with Manchester United splashing £15m on the youngster six months later and James, fast becoming an Old Trafford favourite, hardly catching his breath since.

And as he heads to Anfield for the first time – and a taste of United’s bitter rivalry with Liverpool on enemy soil – James admits it’s been a whirlwind year that has quickly turned him from boy to man. “Yes, it has been a crazy 12 months,” said the 22-year-old. “Every day I think of what I was doing a year ago today.”

James has taken his move to United in his stride.and, crucially, he understands the responsibility that goes with being at United – and why no one in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team believes they are cannon-fodder today for runaway leaders Liverpool.

“I don’t think we go into any game as underdogs.we are United and don’t go into any game feeling like that,” said James.

“Yes, it is going to be a tough game, but we go into it feeling positive.

“We are the only team to have taken points off them already this season so we will go there full of high hopes.’’

And James, subjected to bruising tackles from desperate defenders who can’t deal with his pace, insists it’s because Solskjaer’s stars are afraid of no-one.

‘‘It’s a no-fear attitude that Manchester United have always had,’’ he added.

“If you don’t have it, you don’t play for this club.”